Linking local movement and molecular analysis to explore philopatry and population connectivity of the southern stingray Hypanus americanus

Limited data pertaining to life history and population connectivity of the data‐deficient southern stingray (Hypanus americanus) are available. To determine potential vulnerabilities of their populations, this study aimed to analyse their movement patterns and genetic variability. A population of so...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of fish biology 2020-06, Vol.96 (6), p.1475-1488
Main Authors: Schwanck, Tanja N., Schweinsberg, Maximilian, Lampert, Kathrin P., Guttridge, Tristan L., Tollrian, Ralph, O'Shea, Owen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bahamas, batoid, gene flow, mark‐recapture, microsatellites, sex‐biased dispersal
Dasyatidae
Dasyatis americana
Females
Gene flow
Genetic analysis
Genetic isolation
Genetic variability
Haplotypes
Home range
Hypanus americanus
Life history
Local movements
Marine fishes
Microsatellites
Mitochondria
Philopatry
Population
Population differentiation
Population genetics
Population structure
Population studies
Populations
Sexual isolation
Variability
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Summary:Limited data pertaining to life history and population connectivity of the data‐deficient southern stingray (Hypanus americanus) are available. To determine potential vulnerabilities of their populations, this study aimed to analyse their movement patterns and genetic variability. A population of southern stingrays encompassing nine sites around Cape Eleuthera, the Bahamas, has been monitored using mark‐recapture, spanning a 2.5 year period. Out of 200 individual stingrays, more than a third were encountered again. The home range of the females appears to be restricted, which supports the notion of high site residency. As resident populations of stingrays could suffer from a lack of population connectivity and be predestined for genetic isolation and local extirpation, this study further investigated the genetic connectivity of four sample sites in the central and western Bahamas. A haplotype analysis from the mitochondrial D‐loop region showed that no distinct population structure strictly correlated with the sample site. These findings were complemented by five microsatellite loci that revealed high degrees in genotypic variability and little population differentiation. The results suggest gene flow mediated by both males and females.
ISSN:0022-1112
1095-8649
DOI:10.1111/jfb.14325